Apparatus for making faced concrete blocks

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for making a concrete block faced with rocklike material. Adjacent, initially opened top first and second compartments sharing a common wall receive rocklike material and a quantity of concrete, respectively. The apparatus is then rotated to position the rocklike material compartment below the concrete compartment. The common wall is then removed and the rocklike particles are moved toward and into the concrete.

United States Patent [72] inventor EruestJ.Taylor-Smith [50] Field of .t2905 West 37th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada App]. No.858,610

0, 41 R403. 63, 66, 67; leek 1 65, 16 R, 16.5,

45 R, 30 PM, 30 PR [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [22)Filed Sept. 17,1969

Division of Ser. No. 608.459. Jan. 10. 1967. 3.497580 which is acontinuation of Ser.

No. 393,014, Aug. 3i. i964, abandoned. [45] Patented July 6,1971

Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant ExaminerDeWalden W.Jones Attorney- F etherstonhaugh and Company ABSTRACT: Apparatus formakin s41 APPARATUS FOR MAKING FACED CONCRETE l BLOCKS secondcompartments sharing a co 9 Claims 9 Drawing Figs. material and aquantity of cone paratus is then rotated to position th partment belowthe concrete compartment. The common wall particles are moved toward e.m H c o r e h t dm m m d m 60 C e mh t mm e.m m .ma 6 6m 7 m 2 B L m CG QM L U .m l l. 2 ll 5 5 l. .l.

PATENTED JUL SIS?! SHEET 1 BF 4 8 .E-i-i-i:

INVENTOR TAYLOR-SMITH ERNEST PATENTED JUL 6 lHYl SHEET 2 OF '4 INVENTORERNEST' J. TAYLOR-SMITH ATIWEYI PATENTEU JUL 6 |B7l SHEET 3 [1F 4Milli/(70R J- TAYLOR-SMITH ERNEST adv n rmkmr APPARATUS FOR MAKING FACEDCONCRETE BLOCKS This application is a division of my pending applicationSer. No. 608,459, now patent no. 3,497,580, which is in turn acontinuation of my earlier application Ser. No. 393,014 filed Aug. 3 l,l964, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for making concreteblocks having a facing of particulate material, such as stones or rocks,marble, slate, lava, mineral ores, coal and many other materials.

The term "block" as used herein is intended to include slabs, bricks andthe like, and these can be used for ornamental purposes or asweight-bearing structural units.

Many attempts have been made in the past to produce concrete blockshaving facings of stones or rocks, and the like. This sounds as thoughit would be a relatively easy thing to do, but the prior processes andapparatus have not been very successful. The problem is how to producefaced blocks on a commercial basis. it is very difiicult to obtain aproper bond between the facing material and the concrete. For the sakeof convenience, this description will deal with stones or rocks as thefacing material, but it is to be understood that other suitableparticulate materials may be used.

The problems involved are created mainly by the nature of concrete in asoft or unhardened state. In addition to this, it is difficult toproduce blocks of precise dimensions with particulate facings. if youattempt to press the stones into the concrete, you merely compress theconcrete behind each stone so that it is compacted behind the stones andon setting becomes hard and brittle without much or any bond to thestones. In addition to this, very little of the compacted material movesbetween the stones, and this usually has a different consistency fromthat behind the stones with the result that the stones fall out of theblocks, and the concrete often cracks and breaks away between thestones.

Efforts have been made to shake the molds in an effort to work theconcrete between the stones. The first problem is to get the stonesevenly distributed in a single layer on the bottom of the mold. The nextproblem is to shake the mold sufficiently to shake the entire mass ofconcrete in it in order to have some of the concrete move between thestones. It has been found that if the mold is shaken hard enough to getmovement of concrete between the stones, the fines of the concrete tendto consolidate very quickly, and these simply form a mat on the back ofthe stones with very little, if any, penetration between the stones. Thestones make holes bigger than themselves so that the stones fall out ofthe concrete. This shaking vibration also tends to case harden the blockso that you have a thin hard and brittle layer of concrete at thesurfaces thereof, and a weak core in the middle because of thelack'ofcement therein.

The method and apparatus according to the present invention eliminatesthese problems by providing means for forming an even layer of stones orother particulate material in a mold, providing only sufficient concreteto form a slab block, and using hgh-frequency vibrations for apredetermined interval to insure complete and proper penetration of theconcrete around the stones. If a structural block is required,additional concrete is added to the slab block, said additional concretethen being subjected to high-frequency vibrations. The method includes asequence of steps which make it possible to produce on a commercialscale slab blocks or structural blocks having a facing of stones or thelike which are firmly bonded to the concrete. The apparatus is veryefficient for carrying out this method, and it applies high-frequencyvibrations only where they are required, and not throughout the entireapparatus. This protects the machine from damage, makes it possible toreduce the structure of the machine, and it permits the usecf a minimumof power in order to produce the vibrations.

High-frequency vibrations, for example something of the order of 3600cycles per minute, are used in this method and apparatus in place oflow-frequency vibrations since the latter have somewhat the same effectas is produced by shaking the mold. High-frequency vibrations have theeffect of loosening the particles which constitute the concrete relativeto each other to enable the concrete to flow. Without thelooseningeffect, the concrete tends to remain in a mass, and thereforedoes not flow into small spaces. Furthermore, high-frequency vibrationsapplied to a surface upon which stones rest cause said stones to levelout on the surface without piling up on each other. This also causes thestones to shift until the larger or heavy surfaces thereof are next tothe supporting surface.

In the manufacture of a slab block or the slab or front portion of astructural block, rocks and concrete are placed in adjacent compartmentswith a removable dividing plate therebetween. It is preferable that therocks be roughly the same size. There is a definite relationship betweenthe thickness of the rock compartment and the average size of the rocks,and between the thickness of the concrete compartment and the averagethickness or size of the rocks. For the sake of convenience in loading,it is preferable to have the compartments of the mold upright while therocks and concrete are being placed therein. The mold is closed and thenrotated approximately to move the rock compartment beneath the concretecompartment. The thickness of the rock compartment should be thethickness of the largest rocks plus a little more. For example, goodresults have been attained by having a rock compartment which is aboutone and a half times the thickness of the largest stone to be used. Thethickness of the concrete compartment should be about as thick as therock size or a little thicker. The rock compartment has a face wallwhich is now the bottom thereof, and this wall preferably is subjectedto high-frequency vibrations for a short period in order to spread therock throughout the compartment. The comparatively thin compartmentprevents one rock from sitting on top of the others so that thevibration spreads the rock evenly throughout the compartment. The amountof rock should be metered before being supplied to the compartment inorder to insure a proper face for the finished block. it is preferablethat this face wall of the rock compartment be separate from theremaining walls thereof so that only this face wall is vibrated duringthe operation. Next, the dividing plate is withdrawn to allow theconcrete to drop down on to the layer of rocks. The face plate of therock compartment is moved upwardly to press the rocks into the concreteand to press the concrete against the backwall of the concretecompartment. This traps the rocks so that they cannot move out ofposition during the following vibration period. The face plate is nowsubjected to high-frequency vibrations for a predetermined period toinsure complete and proper penetration of the rocks into the concrete.The high-frequency vibrations cause the concrete to flow into the spacesbetween the rocks, but the vibrations are terminated before the concretetends to case harden behind the rocks. If this case hardening were totake place, there would be little or no bond with the rocks. With thisarrangement, a comparatively small body of concrete is subjected tovibrations so that these are distributed throughout the concrete and donot have to be violent enough to cause case hardening in the block. Thisis further helped by the fact that the concrete is pressed against theback of the concrete compartment which resonates with the vibrations sothat the concrete is actually subjected to vibrations at the bottom andtop thereof. Thus proper penetration can be obtained in a very shorttime so that the vibrations are not applied long enough to affect theconcrete itself or, in other words, not long enough to causeconsolidation'of the fines or case hardening in the finished block. Ithas been found generally that approximately 2 seconds of vibration arerequired to break concrete away from the mold walls, and about 3 secondsfor proper penetration. From experience, about 4 to 8 seconds ofvibration are required at this stage for rock approximately 1% inchesand under, and up to about 12 seconds for rock over 1% inches. Thefollowing chart provides an indication of approximate thicknesses of theconcrete compartment and the finished slab relative to different rocksizes:

[Inches] Concrete Finished compartment a Rock sizes Thicknessesthicknesses z- /z- 1. 1 1% V 2 2 2-3. 2% 4 45. 13-13% The slab block canbe finally sized by moving the faceplate inwardly of the mold or bymeans of a backplate movable inwardly of the mold towards saidfaceplate. If a slab block only is required, it is now ejected from themold. A convenient way to do this is to turn the mold through another 90and to press the slab and block downwardly out of it on a pallet.

The formation of a structural block is roughly the same as the above andcarried on a little further. The mold for a structural block has stoneand concrete compartments separated by a divider plate as describedabove, and a main concrete compartment beside the slab concretecompartment and separated therefrom by a removable divider plate.Metered quantities of rocks and concrete are directed respectively intothe rock and concrete compartments. Then the mold is closed and turnedso that the rock compartment is on the bottom and the main concretecompartment is on the top. The faceplate or wall of the rock compartmentis subjected to high-frequency vibrations in order to level the rocks inthe rock compartment. The rock dividing plate is withdrawn to allow theconcrete of the slab concrete compartment to drop on to the layer ofrocks, and the face of the rock is moved upwardly to press the rocksinto the concrete and the concrete against the concrete dividing plate.The faceplate is now subjected to high-frequency vibrations for apredetermined time to ensure proper penetration of the rocks into theconcrete without causing consolidation of the concrete constituents. Theconcrete dividing plate acts as a backing plate for the slab concreteduring this vibration. The concrete dividing plate is withdrawn topermit the main body of concrete to drop on to the formed slab. However,it is preferable to move the faceplate inwardly of the mold at this timeto shift the slab concrete against the main concrete rather than havethe latter dropping on to said slab concrete. It is preferable that themain concrete compartment has a backplate or press opposed to thefaceplate and which is now moved towards said faceplate to press theconcrete into the size of the final block. At this time, the back pressor plate is subjected to highfrequency vibrations which ensure a properdistribution of the concrete in the mold and a good bond between themain body of concrete and the preformed slab. The high-frequencyvibrations are applied only to the back press or plate and not to therest of the apparatus. The formed structural block may now be dischargedfrom the mold. This can be done by turning the mold another 90 andpressing the block downwardly on a pallet.

During the manufacture of a slab block and a structural block, it ishelpful to have the concrete compartments larger than necessary when theconcrete is poured into them so that the concrete can then be compressedinto the desired density and size. This can be accomplished by providingthe slab concrete compartment and the main concrete compartment withmovable bottoms or bottom presses. These presses are located below theirproper block-sizing positions when the concrete is poured into thecompartments, and then the bottom presses are moved inwardly of the moldto the block sizing positions.

Different mixes of concrete may be used in order to produce blocks ofdesired strengths. An example of a good mix for this purpose isapproximately 2% cubic feet of gravel, 1% cubic feet of sand, 1 cubicfoot of cement, and seveneighths of a gallon of water. If desiredchemicals may be added for aerating the concrete, decreasing the settingtime, and curing concrete in accordance with standard practice. It isdesirable to use gravel ofa size smaller than the facing stones.

The following is an example of this method of producing a slab block:

1. A metered quantity of rock of from 1 to 1% inches is directed intothe rock compartment of a mold which is about I32 inches thick,

2. A metered quantity of concrete is directed into the concretecompartment of the mold which is about 1% inches thick.

3. A pallet is clamped in position over the mold.

4. The bottom of the concrete compartment is moved inwardly to itsblock-sizing position.

5. The mold is turned to position with the rock compartment beneath theconcrete compartment.

6. The face press or wall of the rock compartment is vibrated to leveland distribute the rock and shift the larger or heavy faces thereofdownwardly on to said face press.

7. The rock dividing plate is withdrawn from the mold to allow theconcrete to drop on to the layer of rock.

8. The face press is moved inwardly to press the rocks into the concreteand the concrete against the back face of the concrete compartment,forming a slab about 1% inches thick.

9. High-frequency vibrators are operated against the face press forabout 8 seconds.

10. The mold is turned to position.

11. The face press is moved outwardly to clear the rock face.

12. The pallet is freed and the block pressed downwardly with the palletmoving with it.

The following is an example of a method of making a structural block;with the rock size, rock compartment size and concrete compartment sizementioned immediately above:

1. A metered quantity of rock is directed into the rock compartment.

2. A metered quantity of concrete is directed into the concrete and maincompartments of the mold.

3. The concrete dividing plate is moved into position to separate theconcrete and main compartments, this preferably being done as theconcrete is being directed into the mold.

4. A pallet is clamped in position over the mold.

5. The bottoms of the concrete and main compartments are moved inwardlyto their block sizing positions.

6. The mold is turned to a 90 position with the rock compartment beneaththe concrete compartments.

7. Face press high-frequency vibrators are operated to level the rock inthe rock compartment. I

8. The rock dividing plate is withdrawn to allow the concrete in theconcrete compartment to drop on to the layer of rocks.

9. The face press is moved inwardly to press the rocks into theconcrete.

10. The vibrators are operated to ensure a penetration of the concreteinto the rock layer, this vibration continuing for about 8 seconds.

i l. The concrete dividing plate is withdrawn.

12. The face press moves inwardly to its final position.

13. The back press or wall of the main concrete compartment is movedinto the final block sizing position while it is subjected to theoperation of a high-frequency vibrator for about 5 seconds.

14. The mold is turned to 180 position.

15. The face press is moved out to clear the rock face.

16. The block and pallet are moved downwardly clear of the mold.

Although the methods set out above may be carried out with differentforms of apparatus, the following is a description of very goodapparatus for making slab blocks or structural blocks.

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatus for molding two faced blocks at atime,

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 5 to 9 are diagrammatic views illustrating the various stepsduring the operation of this apparatus.

Referring to the drawings. block making apparatus includes a rotatingframe 12 having trunnions 13 and 14 projecting laterally therefrom. saidtrunnions being respectively journaled in suitable supports 15 and 16.Frame 12 is adapted to be rotated to a 90 position from that shown inFIGS. 1 to 4, and then to a 180 position by suitable means, such asgears 18 rotated by a suitable source of power, not shown. Frame 12returns to its zero or normal position by reversing the direction ofrotation. The illustrated apparatus includes two open-top molds 22mounted in frame 12, and as these are identical, only one will bedescribed in detail. It will be understood that there may be only one ofthese molds or many molds in the apparatus.

Mold 22 has fixed sidewalls 25 and 26 which are spaced apart a distanceequal to the length of the block to be formed in this apparatus. Themold is divided into a rock compartment 29, a slab concrete compartment31 and a main concrete compartment 33 by transverse slidably mountedrock dividing plate 35 and concrete dividing plate 37. Compartments 29and 31 are about the same thickness while compartment 33, if provided,is considerably larger than the others. Part of the main concretecompartment 33 has a fixed bottom 39, while the rest of this compartmenthas a vertically movable bottom or main press 40. If the block is to bea structural block having core openings vertically therethrough, cores42 and 43 are fixedly mounted in compartment 33, preferably adjacent oragainst divider plate 37, see FIGS. 1 and 2. In this example, cores 42and 43 are fixedly secured to a base 45 carried by rotary frame 12beneath movable bottom or main press 40, said cores slidably extendingthrough said bottom press.

The back end of main compartment 33 is closed by a movable wall or backpress 48, said back press slidably fitting on stationary bottom 39 andbetween sidewalls 25 and 26 of the mold. Back press 48 is connected to apair of rods 49 which extend through guides 50 carried by a frame memberor beam 51 slidably mounted in and for movement relative to rotatingframe 12, see FIGS. 1 and 2. Rods 49 extend freely through theirrespective guides which are mounted in beam 51. These rods are connectedto a high frequency vibrator 52 of wellknown construction, said vibratorbeing supported solely by these rods and the guides 50. The beam 51 isconnected to press 48 by rods 53 and is moved in and out relative toframe 12 by a cylinder 54 which is fixedly secured thereto, see FIGS. 1and 3, said cylinder having a piston rod 55 projecting therefrom whichis secured to a fixed part 56 offrame 12.

Transverse dividing plate 37 is moved up and down in mold 22 in anyconvenient manner. In this example, the lower end of plate 37 isconnected to a crossbar 57 slidably mounted at its opposite ends onvertical rods 58 having stops 59 at the lower ends thereof, saidcrossbar being connected to the piston rod 60 of a hydraulic cylinder 61which hangs down from a bridge 62 which forms part of rotary frame 12,see FIGS. 3 and 4.

Rock dividing plate 35 is moved up and down in mold 22 in any convenientmanner. In this example, a bracket 68, see FIG. 2, is connected to plate35, and is also connected to the upper end of a piston rod 64 of ahydraulic cylinder 65 connected by a web 66 to a member 67 of therotating frame.

Rock compartment has a fixed bottom 69 which is aligned with a fixedportion 39 at the bottom of main compartment 33. A face wall or press 71is slidably mounted on bottom 69 between mold walls 25 and 26. Facepress 71 is connected to a pair of rods 72 extending through guides 73carried by a frame member or beam 74, the outer ends of said rods beingconnected to a high-frequency vibrator 75 which is supported solely bysaid rods and the guides 73, see FIGS. 1 and 2. Beam 74 is connected byrods 76 to press 71 and is mounted in frame 12 for movement inwardly andoutwardly with respect thereto, and this movement is accomplished by acylinder 77 secured to said beam and having a piston rod 78 fixedlysecured to a stationary part 79 of frame 12.

Slab concrete compartment 31 has a movable bottom or auxiliary press 80which is movable up and down in mold 22 between plates 35 and 37. Aplurality of rods 82 are connected to auxiliary press and extenddownwardly to a crossbar 83, see FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. This crossbar isconnected to a piston rod 84 of a hydraulic cylinder 85, see FIG. 3,which movesbottom press 80 up and down within the mold. Stop rods 88extend downwardly from bar 83 and through sleeves 89 carried by a beam90 of rotary frame 12, each rod 88 having a stop 91 on its lower endwhich limits the upward movement of crossbar 83 and stops auxiliarypress 80 in its correct position relative to mold 22, which is alignedwith fixed bottoms 39 and 69 of compartments 33 and 29, respectively.

Main bottom press 40 is moved up and down in compartment 33 in the samemanner as auxiliary press 80. A plurality of rods 95 connected to mainpress 40 slidably extend through base 45 and are connected at theirlower ends to a crossbar 96. This crossbar, in turn, is connected to thepiston rod 97 of a hydraulic cylinder 98 mounted on beam 90, see FIGS.2, 3 and 4. A plurality of stop rods 100 are connected to and extenddownwardlyfrom crossmember 96, and slidably extend through sleeves 101mounted on beam 90. Each stop rod 100 has a stop 102 on its lower endwhich limits the upward movement of main press 40 which is in line withfixed bottoms 39 and 69 in the mold.

A clamping frame 103 is made up of lower beam 90 and an upper beam 105interconnected at the corners thereof by four rods 107, each rodslidably extending through a long sleeve 108 which forms part of rotaryframe 12. A sliding frame 110 is mounted on and suspended from upperbeam 105. A pallet 113 is moved into position beneath frame 110 in anydesired manner.

Clamping frame 103 is moved up and down by a hydraulic cylinder hangingfrom bridge 60 and having a piston rod 121 projecting downwardlytherefrom, the lower end of said rod being connected to a head 122which, in turn, has rods 124 extending downwardly therefrom, the lowerends of which are connected to beam 90, see FIG. 4.

The operation of apparatus 10 is as follows:

When the apparatus is ready to receive the rocks and the concrete,bottom presses'40 and 80 are in their lowermost positions, as shown inFIG. 2, but pallet 113 is not yet in place, and concrete dividing plate37 is in its lowermost position. A metered quantity of rock is directedinto compartment 29 and at the same time, a metered quantity of concreteis directed into compartments 31 and 33. Just before the total amount ofconcrete is directed into the concrete compartments, dividing plate 37is moved upwardly to its upper position. A pallet 113 is moved over themolds, and cylinder 120 is operated to move clamping frame 103downwardly. This causes upper beam 105 to press frame 110 against thepallet on top of the mold to close the latter. The main and auxiliarybottom presses 40 and 80 are moved upwardly by cylinders 98 and 89 intotheir final positions to establish the height of the block, thesepositions being aligned with stationary bottoms 39 and 69 of the mold.This arrangement of the various elements of the mold is illustrated inFIG. 5.

Frame 12 is now rotated to the 90 position with rock compartment 29beneath concrete compartments 31 and 33, see FIG. 6. Vibrator 76 of facepress 71 is now operated to level the rock on said press in compartment29. After this has been done, dividing plate 35 is withdrawn from themold so that the concrete in compartment 31 tends to drop down on to thelayer of rocks in compartment 29. Face press 71 is moved inwardly bycylinder 77 to embed the rocks in the concrete and shift the concreteagainst dividing plate 37, and then vibrator 76 is operated again tovibrate the face press, and thereby cause the concrete to penetrate intothe spaces between the rocks. Dividing plate 37 acts as a backing plateat this time, and it resonates with the vibrations to help transmitthese vibrations completely through the concrete and rocks which are nowformed into a slab, see FIG. 7. If slab blocks only are required, noconcrete would be directed into main compartment 33 and the slab blockwould now be finished. Furthermore, press 71 can be moved inwardlyfinally to size the slab before it is discharged from the mold.

During the manufacture of a structural block, concrete dividing plate 37is now withdrawn to allow the concrete in compartment 33 to drop on tothe preformed slab. It is preferable now to move face press 71 upwardlyto compensate for the thickness of withdrawn plate 37, and back press 48is moved by cylinder 54 inwardly to complete the sizing of the block,vibrator 52 being operated at this time for a predetermined period tosubject the main mass of concrete to highfrequency vibrations to form ablock of uniform consistency, and firmly to bind the slab to the mainconcrete body. FIG 8 illustrates the position of the various elements atthis time.

Frame 12 is now rotated to the 180 position. Face press 71 is movedoutwardly to clear the block and cylinder 120 is operated to moveclamping frame 103. This permits pallet 113 to move in the samedirection as it is resting on frame 110 carried by beam 105. Ascylinders 85 and 98 are carried by beam 90 of frame 103, bottom presses40 and 80 move downwardly at this time to move the formed block throughthe mold on the pallet. With this arrangement, the block is firmly heldbetween the pallet and the main and auxiliary bottom presses, see FIG.9. During the last part of the downward movement of frame 103, bottompress 40 is moved upwardly relative to said frame to separate it fromthe block, and the latter may now be moved away on pallet 113. The backand face presses 48 and 71 move to their outer positions, the bottompresses are moved to their positions for receiving concrete incompartments 31 and 33, and rock dividing plate 35 is moved back intothe mold while frame 12 is rotated back to the zero position.

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for making a concrete block faced with rocklike materialcomprising a first compartment for receiving the rocklike material, thefirst compartment being of a thickness slightly greater than thethickness of the individual pieces of the rocklike material to be placedtherein, a second compartment for receiving a quantity of concrete andlocated adjacent the first compartment such that the first and secondcompartments share a common wall, the second compartment being of athickness approximately equal to the thickness of the first compartment,the said common wall lying in a plane generally perpendicular to thedirection of said equal thicknesses, said first compartment beingpositionable below said second compartment, means for removing the saidcommon wall from between said first and second compartments, and meansfor moving the rocklike particles towardv and into the concrete as saidcommon wall is removed.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first compartmentincludes a front wall opposed to said common wall, and including meansfor subjecting only said front wall to high-frequency vibrations.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for placing saidcompartments horizontally side by side and opentopped for loading, andmeans for closing said open-tops and turning the compartments such thatthe first compartment is located below said second compartment belowsaid common wall.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a third compartment locatedon the side of the second compartment opposite from the firstcompartment and separated from the second compartment by a second commonwall, said third compartment being of a .thickness substantially greaterthan said first and second compartments, and including means forremoving said second common wall after the removal of the first saidcommon wall.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4 including means for placing saidcompartments horizontally side-by-side in alignment with each other andwith their tops open for loading, and means for closing said open topsand turning the compartments such that the compartments are verticallyaligned with the third compartment uppermost and the first compartmentlowermost.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first, second and thirdcompartments are permanently in side by side alignment with each other.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first compartmentincludes a front wall opposed to said common wall and including meansfor subjecting only said front wall to high-frequency vibrations, andwherein said third compartment includes a backwall opposed to saidsecond common wall, and including means for subjecting only saidbackwall of the third compartment to high-frequency vibrations.

8. Apparatus for making concrete blocks faced with a particularmaterial, comprising a rotatable frame, a mould mounted in said frame,an open-topped compartment in the mould adapted to receive a particulatematerial, said compartment being of a thickness a little greater thanthe size of the particulate material, an open-topped compartment adaptedto receive concrete in the mould beside the particulate materialcompartment, said concrete compartment being about the same thickness asthe material compartment, a removable dividing plate normally positionedbetween said compartments, means for selectively moving the dividingplate out of the mould and back to its normal position, a vibratory facepress forming a wall of the particulate compartment opposed to thedividing plate and movable towards the latter, said concrete compartmenthaving a wall spaced from the dividing plate and opposed to said press,cover means for the material and concrete compartments, means forrotating the frame to shift the particulate compartment beneath theconcrete compartment, and means for subjecting the face press tohighfrequency vibrations.

9. Apparatus for making concrete blocks faced with a particulatematerial, comprising a mould having a compartment adapted to receiveparticulate material, said compartment being of a thickness at littlegreater than the size of particulate material, a compartment adapted toreceive concrete beside the particulate material compartment, saidconcrete compartment being approximately the same thickness as thematerial compartment, a first removable dividing plate normallypositioned between said compartments, first means for selectively movingsaid first dividing plate out of the mould and back to its normalposition, a main compartment in the mould beside the concretecompartment, a second removable dividing plate normally positionedbetween the concrete and main compartments and substantially parallelwith the first dividing plate, second means for selectively moving saidsecond dividing plate out of the mould and back to its normal position,a vibratory face press forming a wall of the particulate materialcompartment opposed to said first dividing plate and movable towards thelatter and upon which the rocklike particulate material can rest, andmeans for subjecting the face press to high-frequency vibrations.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which the means for subjectingthe face press to vibrations comprises a highfrequency vibratorconnected to said face press by a plurality of rods, said vibrator beingsupported by said rods.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 including a vibratory back pressforming a wall of the main compartment opposed to said face press andmovable towards the latter, and wherein the vibrations applied to themain compartment are applied to the back press.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 in which the means forsubjecting the face and back presses to vibrations compriseshigh-frequency vibrators connected to their respective presses by aplurality of rods, each vibrator being supported by the rods thereof.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 including a rotatable frame, saidmould being mounted for rotation in said rotatable frame, at leastbetween a first position whereat the three said compartments arearranged horizontally side by side and a second position whereat thethree compartments are arranged vertically one above the other with themain compartment on top, the concrete compartment in the middle and thematerial compartment on the bottom, each of said compartments beingopen-topped in the said first position, a cover means for covering thesaid three compartments, and a rotating means for rotating the frame atleast between said first and second positrons.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 including a slab press forming amovable wall of said concrete compartment across from that side of thecompartment which is the opentop in the said first position of theframe, and a moving means for moving the slab press at least between afirst position spaced from the concrete compartment and a secondposition whereat the slab press forms the said wall of the concretecompartment.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 including a main press forming amovable wall of said main compartment across from that side of thecompartment which is the opentop in the said first position of theframe, and a moving means for moving the main press at least between afirst position spaced from the main compartment and a second positionwhereat the main press forms the said wall of the main compartment.

l6 An apparatus as claimed in claim 15 including a slab press forming amovable wall of said concrete compartment across from that side of thecompartment which is the opentop in the said first position of theframe, and a moving means for moving the slab press at least between afirst position spaced from the concrete compartment and a secondposition whereat the slab press forms the said wall of the concretecompartment.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein said moving meansfurther includes a means for moving the main press through the maincompartment, said rotating means includes means for further rotatingsaid mould to a third position whereat the mould is inverted relative tothe first position, and

said cover means is a pallet, and including clamping means for securingthe pallet over the open top of the compartments, operating means forselectively securing and releasing the clamping means, said operatingmeans being connected to the main press and being operable when themould is in the said third position to move the pallet and the mainpress downwardly relative to the mould to move a formed blocktherebetween out of the mould 18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17including a clamping frame slidably mounted in said rotatable frame andhaving a lower beam below the main press connected to an upper beamabove the open-top of the compartments, said clamping means beingcarried by said upper beam, and said operatively means including a firstpower means connected to said clamping frame for moving the clampingframe to press the clamping means against the mould, to move the upperbeam away from the mould and, when the mould is inverted, to move thepallet and main press downwardly relative to the mould, and said movingmeans includes a second power means, connected to the lower beam, formoving the main press through the main compartment.

19. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the said secondremovable dividing plate is of such construction that it is capable ofresonating with said high-frequency vibrations of said vibratory faceplates so that the high-frequency vibrations apply to the layer ofconcrete and the material are effective throughout the said layer ofconcrete and material.

1. Apparatus for making a concrete block faced with rocklike materialcomprising a first compartment for receiving the rocklike material, thefirst cOmpartment being of a thickness slightly greater than thethickness of the individual pieces of the rocklike material to be placedtherein, a second compartment for receiving a quantity of concrete andlocated adjacent the first compartment such that the first and secondcompartments share a common wall, the second compartment being of athickness approximately equal to the thickness of the first compartment,the said common wall lying in a plane generally perpendicular to thedirection of said equal thicknesses, said first compartment beingpositionable below said second compartment, means for removing the saidcommon wall from between said first and second compartments, and meansfor moving the rocklike particles toward and into the concrete as saidcommon wall is removed.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein saidfirst compartment includes a front wall opposed to said common wall, andincluding means for subjecting only said front wall to high-frequencyvibrations.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means forplacing said compartments horizontally side by side and open-topped forloading, and means for closing said open-tops and turning thecompartments such that the first compartment is located below saidsecond compartment below said common wall.
 4. Apparatus according toclaim 1 including a third compartment located on the side of the secondcompartment opposite from the first compartment and separated from thesecond compartment by a second common wall, said third compartment beingof a thickness substantially greater than said first and secondcompartments, and including means for removing said second common wallafter the removal of the first said common wall.
 5. An apparatus as inclaim 4 including means for placing said compartments horizontallyside-by-side in alignment with each other and with their tops open forloading, and means for closing said open tops and turning thecompartments such that the compartments are vertically aligned with thethird compartment uppermost and the first compartment lowermost. 6.Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first, second and thirdcompartments are permanently in side by side alignment with each other.7. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first compartmentincludes a front wall opposed to said common wall and including meansfor subjecting only said front wall to high-frequency vibrations, andwherein said third compartment includes a backwall opposed to saidsecond common wall, and including means for subjecting only saidbackwall of the third compartment to high-frequency vibrations. 8.Apparatus for making concrete blocks faced with a particular material,comprising a rotatable frame, a mould mounted in said frame, anopen-topped compartment in the mould adapted to receive a particulatematerial, said compartment being of a thickness a little greater thanthe size of the particulate material, an open-topped compartment adaptedto receive concrete in the mould beside the particulate materialcompartment, said concrete compartment being about the same thickness asthe material compartment, a removable dividing plate normally positionedbetween said compartments, means for selectively moving the dividingplate out of the mould and back to its normal position, a vibratory facepress forming a wall of the particulate compartment opposed to thedividing plate and movable towards the latter, said concrete compartmenthaving a wall spaced from the dividing plate and opposed to said press,cover means for the material and concrete compartments, means forrotating the frame to shift the particulate compartment beneath theconcrete compartment, and means for subjecting the face press tohigh-frequency vibrations.
 9. Apparatus for making concrete blocks facedwith a particulate material, comprising a mould having a compartmentadapted to receive particulate material, said compartment being of athickness a little greater than the size of particulate material, acompartment adapted To receive concrete beside the particulate materialcompartment, said concrete compartment being approximately the samethickness as the material compartment, a first removable dividing platenormally positioned between said compartments, first means forselectively moving said first dividing plate out of the mould and backto its normal position, a main compartment in the mould beside theconcrete compartment, a second removable dividing plate normallypositioned between the concrete and main compartments and substantiallyparallel with the first dividing plate, second means for selectivelymoving said second dividing plate out of the mould and back to itsnormal position, a vibratory face press forming a wall of theparticulate material compartment opposed to said first dividing plateand movable towards the latter and upon which the rocklike particulatematerial can rest, and means for subjecting the face press tohigh-frequency vibrations.
 10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 inwhich the means for subjecting the face press to vibrations comprises ahigh-frequency vibrator connected to said face press by a plurality ofrods, said vibrator being supported by said rods.
 11. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 9 including a vibratory back press forming a wall ofthe main compartment opposed to said face press and movable towards thelatter, and wherein the vibrations applied to the main compartment areapplied to the back press.
 12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 inwhich the means for subjecting the face and back presses to vibrationscomprises high-frequency vibrators connected to their respective pressesby a plurality of rods, each vibrator being supported by the rodsthereof.
 13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 including a rotatableframe, said mould being mounted for rotation in said rotatable frame, atleast between a first position whereat the three said compartments arearranged horizontally side by side and a second position whereat thethree compartments are arranged vertically one above the other with themain compartment on top, the concrete compartment in the middle and thematerial compartment on the bottom, each of said compartments beingopen-topped in the said first position, a cover means for covering thesaid three compartments, and a rotating means for rotating the frame atleast between said first and second positions.
 14. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 13 including a slab press forming a movable wall ofsaid concrete compartment across from that side of the compartment whichis the open-top in the said first position of the frame, and a movingmeans for moving the slab press at least between a first position spacedfrom the concrete compartment and a second position whereat the slabpress forms the said wall of the concrete compartment.
 15. An apparatusas claimed in claim 13 including a main press forming a movable wall ofsaid main compartment across from that side of the compartment which isthe open-top in the said first position of the frame, and a moving meansfor moving the main press at least between a first position spaced fromthe main compartment and a second position whereat the main press formsthe said wall of the main compartment.
 16. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 15 including a slab press forming a movable wall of said concretecompartment across from that side of the compartment which is theopen-top in the said first position of the frame, and a moving means formoving the slab press at least between a first position spaced from theconcrete compartment and a second position whereat the slab press formsthe said wall of the concrete compartment.
 17. An apparatus as claimedin claim 14 wherein said moving means further includes a means formoving the main press through the main compartment, said rotating meansincludes means for further rotating said mould to a third positionwhereat the mould is inverted relative to the first position, and saidcover means is a pallet, and including clamping means for securiNg thepallet over the open top of the compartments, operating means forselectively securing and releasing the clamping means, said operatingmeans being connected to the main press and being operable when themould is in the said third position to move the pallet and the mainpress downwardly relative to the mould to move a formed blocktherebetween out of the mould.
 18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17including a clamping frame slidably mounted in said rotatable frame andhaving a lower beam below the main press connected to an upper beamabove the open-top of the compartments, said clamping means beingcarried by said upper beam, and said operatively means including a firstpower means connected to said clamping frame for moving the clampingframe to press the clamping means against the mould, to move the upperbeam away from the mould and, when the mould is inverted, to move thepallet and main press downwardly relative to the mould, and said movingmeans includes a second power means, connected to the lower beam, formoving the main press through the main compartment.
 19. An apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the said second removable dividing plateis of such construction that it is capable of resonating with saidhigh-frequency vibrations of said vibratory face plates so that thehigh-frequency vibrations apply to the layer of concrete and thematerial are effective throughout the said layer of concrete andmaterial.